Interlude is not just another Brief Encounter type of romantic drama; it is one of the best of its class. Oskar Werner and Barbara Ferris are the star-crossed, and star-billed, lovers in this handsome production, filmed in England.
All the excitement and ecstacy, as well as the bittersweet, foredoomed disenchantment of extra-marital romance are contained in the original screenplay. Strong writing, superior acting and firstrate direction make this a powerful, personal drama.
Werner plays a temperamental symphonic conductor who is interviewed by Ferris, a newspaper reporter, the story unfolding in flashback format. A tender, fragile atmosphere is established early, and sustained quite well.
Werner’s performance is excellent, despite some wardrobe and makeup which occasionally fights the credibility of his character. Ferris is outstanding; to her goes the burden of commingling the love-hate, up-down, sweet-sour aspects of the affair, and she carries it superbly. Virginia Maskell’s character, unlike the stock ‘wife,’ comes to life.
